Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1887-05-27

II is the purpose of Secretary Lamar
to revoke the orders of withdrawal of
railroad indemnity lands made by his
predecessors since 1850, and such action
will result in 25,OO0,0OO acres of land
being thrown open to settlement and
entry. Commissioner Sparks strongly
urges the taking of this important
step; and upon his head the railroad
corporations will pour out the Walls of
their wrath when the lands are thrown
open to settlement. When Mr.. Sparks
took charge of the land office he sub
stituted strictly honest business meth
DDS for loose and dishonest practices,
and for SO doing stirred up IA mighty
opposition from those whose selfish
interests ran counter to the interests
of the people in general. While this
opposition has been fierce, powerful
and vindictive, he has received sub
stantial support, which has rot been
confined to party lines. Hon. +. b.
WaShburne has strongly commended
him for the courage and ability dis
PLAYED III the work which he has in
hand. And The Chicago Tribune has
also stood manfully by the commits
sioner in his good work. In its issue
of Monday, May %, The Tribune says:
"Iu every case 1t is stated that the
railroads have already selected all the
land to which they are entitled, or
have taken all within the indemnity
limits which is subject to their Sclec-
ton. Yet the orders of withdrawal.
which had simply the effect OF eNclud-
ing settlers from lands to which the
railroads could show no title, have
been permitted to stand until some of
them are now thirty-seven years old.
1t was simply a case where if the rail
roads had nothing to gain the settlers
had everything to lose. 1t seems to
have been thought that if settlers could
be kept out year after year some
means would yet be found through
corruption in the land office, or tricky
legislation in congress to enable the
railroads to grab al the so-calIed in
demnity lands. Commissioner Sparks
proposes to stop this rascality and get
the lands into the possession of actual
settlers rs soon rs possible. Sparks
deserves high praise for his fearless
efforts to put an end to the Spoliation
OF the public domain. In face of the
abuse heaped upon him by the ring of
land thieves and the ill-concealed dis
pleasure of his official superiors he
has stood out manfully and he deserves
commentator for his honesty, zeal
and courage qualities which put to
shame the records of his predecessors
in the Land Office"
"Since il was known that the rail
roads could never acquire title to more
than one section out of fifty within
the indemnity limits, settlers We're
continually tempted to make unauthor-
lied settlements and take their chances
of eventually getting the land from
the government, or making terms with
the railroad if it came to the worst
and their homesteads We're selected as
"indemnity." The worst nearly always
came. The railroad waited until the
land was made valuable by improve
ments, and then pounced on it as in
demnity. This is the sort of gouge
game which has gone on for years,
and even after the railroads had seized
all the land which they could possibly
acquire under the law the indemnity
tracts were withheld in the hope that
new methods of piracy might be dis
covered. Sparks has, however, brought
the land thieves up with a sharp turn
nj last "